Penultimate
by Thaumaturge
Summary: Escape, Gone, Aegis and now the next to last of my first book. Review please


Penultimate

Just so everyone knows I'm also the writer of Gone and Escape and Aegis. If you know the meaning of this word then either a) you're an etymological nerd like me or b) you've read the most recent Lemony Snicket book like me as well. For those who are neither (I pity you) it means the next to last. Now that you're learnt I shall proceed. This is the next to last chapter in my first book and unfortunately our merry crew will divide near the end. I'll give you a moment to lament………………………………………..Ok, calm down. This first of my three books will end soon and we'll start my second of three about Hurdy, Gurdy and the Black Knight. Now enjoy and review or Blazing Fool will take care of you. I know where he lives (it's like on Garfield Park or something). Oh and I almost forgot, I am the one formally known as Neutral Chaos so I'm not like stealing or anything. Seriously guys.

"Yes?" asked Apocryphal an officer had just entered his tent before announcing himself, it had to be urgent. Otherwise another head _will_ roll.

"Sir, the renegade Selkie and others have camped not far from us"

This officer's head would not roll today. This was news urgent enough for his superior.

"Send Ihn Cog at once; order him to discern the renegade's countenance when he's asleep"

"His countenance sir?" inquired the officer. Now his head would roll. No one did anything but an order when it was given by his or her superior. With a casual flick of his arm, Apocryphal incinerated the officer. Apocryphal called out with his mind:

_Ihn Cog_.

In a heavily guarded tent a Selkie awoke. This Selkie was insane. Driven so by Apocryphal, he had only one function: to obey. He got up, eyes blank, and walked stiffly out the tent. Unfortunately a cocky rookie was guarding the entrance to the tent. When he cried stop to the empty cell Ihn Cog immediately bit his throat out and swallowed it and continued. Ew. When Ihn Cog entered his master's tent he was told in a conversational tone to wipe his mouth. Apocryphal conjured an image of Fah Dofait and was ordered to watch his emotions as he slept and to return after each night.

Fah Dofait was having a great time. His memories of his foggy past had returned to him in a dream, they were camping at a beautiful field that seemed capable of growing anything. Aegis had carved her name on a tree. His memories included merry moments with his mother, his home and of his pet moogle.

"Hey guys," cried Fah "Look!"

"What?" asked Aegis, the first to the hill that the Selkie stood on. She and He had become thick as thieves recently and nothing, save a huge emotional disturbance, could ruin this friendship.

"It's the camp I saved you from" said Fah Dofait. Aegis turned cold. Before this conversation could continue a scream rent the air. Without thinking both turned and ran to the camp. It was Lady Olivia.

"HELP ME!" roared Malfait Shella, he sounded disturbed.

"What's wrong?" demanded Aegis

"THE PRINCESS IS GIVING BIRTH!" cried the Yuke. The Selkie's eyes widened and were full of shock. Suddenly he cried out and fell over into a sort of seizure. Aegis assumed command,

"Help him," she ordered the Yuke, "I'll help the Princess"

Malfait was glad he didn't have to aid the Princess; of all the things the Yuke was ignorant of this was perhaps his greatest subject. He bent down next to the Selkie and placed his downy hand upon the Selkies forehead. The Yuke entered the Selkies mind. Generally, this is forbidden by Yukes to do, but this wasn't generally. The Yuke immediately retracted; he was disturbed. A foreign creature in the Selkie's mind had thrust him out. Yukes knew of such things and their removal but the success rate was not a pleasant ratio. The Selkie suddenly stopped thrashing. Malfait hesitantly reentered Fah Dofait's mind and to his confusion the parasite was gone. The only possible way that could have happened was if it was finished, but whenever such things were finished with their hosts. That always, _always _resulted in loss of sanity, but the Selkie appeared sound of mind to the Yuke; in a state of unconsciousness, but sane.

"Malfait, grab my blankets!" cried Aegis

"Huh…oh!" he had almost forgotten about the princess. Quickly he grabbed a few blankets. As he was searching through the Clavat's pack he heard a rustle. The Yuke turned, electricity wrapping around him as he prepared to attack, but saw nothing.

"BLANKETS" cried the Clavat

"Here," he said "I have to check something"

"Fah Dofait?"

"No, something else" quickly the Yuke fired several balls of stop into the surrounding bushes and trees. He heard no one cry out just before the magic silence them. Malfait never considered that who he hit couldn't cry out unless told to; who would.

_IHN COG!_

Apocryphal was disturbed. This was his top agent, failure was not something he was capable of recognizing. Ihn Cog would carry out his mission even in he had to lose his arms and legs and had to crawl on his belly. A thought occurred to Apocryphal and he called for an officer and asked:

"Who else was with our renegade?"

"A Lilty, Clavat, and a Yuke"

"Ahhhh I see" said Apocryphal to himself "that would explain things" he was silent for a moment then said "send a search party for Ihn Cog. Do not alert our renegade's party of our presence"

"Yes Sir,"

"Also, inform the camp I am not to be disturbed for the next hour for _any_ reason whatsoever"

"Yes Sir" and the Selkic officer left. Apocryphal waited a moment the muttered "_Sceadu_" and though there was only light enough to cast a faint shadow, Apocryphal's shadow became sharper, taller, and more Yukish

"Yes?"

"I need to go over the plan with you, Master"

"I'm listening" said the shadow

"We sacrifice our prisoners when the meteor comes tomorrow and we will be at the topmost room with the renegade. The renegade by now should have regained the last of his darkest memories and the meteor will absorb these dark memories along with the misery of our prisoners and kill everyone in the building. He will resurrect the both of us and steal all the memories of all in the land. This will continue for Thirty-one years until you and I will posses enough power to rule this world"

"Yes," said the shadow "you and I will rid the Lilties of their oppressive rule and bring about a new world order that will mean peace and equality for all. A perfect world,"

"Thank you Master" said Apocryphal the shadow faded back into his own. Apocryphal was no fool, he had just recited his master's lies and he knew it.

"Mæstor!" cried a soldier. This was the proper title of Apocryphal.

"Enter" he replied

"We discovered Ihn Cog," the soldier looked scared "he was hit by Stop. We've tried reviving him with Clear but to no avail," Apocryphal was disturbed. Time magic was not his specialty; it was the most difficult of all magic and by far the most likely to kill the caster if too powerful a magic was created. Whoever cast it was more powerful than his shadow by far.

"Are you sure about this Olivia?" asked Aegis

"Yes, the best chances for my baby's survival are if I send her to my father" Olivia had tears in her eyes but was determined "Also, I will inform Father of my daughter's father. I believe it is Jobe my childhood friend"

"Is Jobe a Clavat?" asked Malfait

"No why?"

"Because this child has Clavatan blood in her,"

"How? The Liltan symbol is upon her brow!"

"But, look at her left hand" and there on her left hand was a Clavatan symbol. The Princess was aghast.

"Oh my goodness! Michael!"

"Is something wrong?" asked Aegis

"Father banished him and he yelled out that my first born child would be his," stress was obvious on her face. The Yuke did a very decent thing at this moment.

"Here," Malfait handed her a long roll of some plant, lit it, and told the princess to inhale slowly.

"What is this?" she asked stress slowly fading from her face

"A fag, I believe Lilties usually put the tobacco in a pipe and smoke it that way"

"Father wouldn't approve" this was part of why she was enjoying

"Well in a Yukish society, giving you just one of our fags is a sign of friendship. Liltan tobacco can cause health problems but we Yukes added magic to ours so they're put to a minimum" the Yuke didn't mention that it was his last. Normally that could be interpreted as a proposal of marriage but this was not the case.

"Speaking of magic" said Aegis "how can you create magic without magicite?" if Yukes can smile it can only be seen through the sound of their voice; Malfait sounded as one would while they're smiling.

"I'm not at liberty to divulge that information" he chuckled "I will tell you that it is a secret that we only just discovered. It would be unfortunate if we suddenly forgot"

Now Fah Dofait was lying off to the side, asleep. He wasn't forgotten they simply couldn't wake him. They did not notice the recently healed Ihn Cog staring intently at Fah Dofait's countenance. Suddenly a flicker of emotion crossed his face. He woke.

"DIE"

The cry startled everyone. Malfait cast Stop in the direction of the cry. When they reached the scene they saw a Selkie whose face screamed of murderous rage. He was in midair, frozen by the magic, racket raised back. There were footprints leading away from the scene.

Apocryphal was motivating everyone into hiding. They were to ambush the renegade and his party. Hate was now the renegade's only emotion and never again would he be happy.

"Come on guys!" roared Fah Dofait "we have to get that Selkie. He was a spy called Ihn Cog"

"Shouldn't we think this through?" suggested Malfait running in the queer way Yukes do.

"No, if we catch him we could…" but what they could do, they never found out for at that moment all were hit with Slow. Then a vine laid across the path struck up and tripped the lot of them. And quick as a flash they were tied up with magic rope that wouldn't break easily; even with magic.

"Take the Clavat and Yuke to the second floor of _Turris Poinë_" a name that means "Tower of Pain" "and the Lilty to the first floor. I shall bring the Selkie to my room on the top floor"


End file.
